# I'm watching Buffy for the first time ever! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 30, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-buffy-for-the-first-time-ever/306128 "2005-05-30T20:10:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-buffy-for-the-first-time-ever/306128/41 "2005-06-02T16:03:58Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The problem is that the end of “Faith, Hope and Trick” makes no sense if you haven’t seen “Becoming, Parts 1 & 2.” Neither does “Amends,” for that matter. Nor does any of the interaction with Snyder, or Spike, or… > > You can start with Season 2, but Season 3 is just too dependent on “Previously, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer…” That’s true, but it doesn’t mean he won’t _enjoy_ it. I started watching Buffy at the beginning of the fourth season, and despite the occasional references to previous events, I liked it a lot. If I really really didn’t get something, I would refer to my handy dandy internet - for instance, when Faith showed up, I had absolutely no idea who she was and didn’t understand how there could be two Slayers. (SMG does a great job in those episode…“Because it’s _wrong_.”) That being said, now that I’ve seen the earlier seasons (I watched 'em in rerun, now I have the first four seasons on DVD), I would recommend watching them in order if possible. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-buffy-for-the-first-time-ever/306128/42 "2005-06-02T16:15:03Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > SMG does a great job in those episode…“Because it’s _wrong_.” As does Dushku: “What’s a steveodore?” –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-buffy-for-the-first-time-ever/306128/43 "2005-06-02T16:17:58Z")
I never thought much of SMG as an actress until I watched her play Eliza Dushku playing Buffy. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-buffy-for-the-first-time-ever/306128/44 "2005-06-02T16:27:27Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I never thought much of SMG as an actress until I watched her play Eliza Dushku playing Buffy. I agree completely. Like **Cliffy** mentioned, ED does a great job of playing Sarah Michelle Gellar playing Buffy, but I think SMG does an even better job. I almost want to throttle the Scoobies for not getting that it’s Faith. “You guys are so dumb! Is it not completely obvious that that is _Faith_?” She even mimics Eliza Dushku’s accent perfectly. The Philosophy of Buffy book has an essay that points out something I’d never noticed really, that few shows call for such complex reasoning - there are a number of episodes that have actors playing other characters or evil twins to their usual characters. In Season Three, David Boreanaz does a surprisingly subtle job of playing “Angel pretending to be Angelus pretending to be Angel.” ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-buffy-for-the-first-time-ever/306128/45 "2005-06-02T17:06:40Z")
As for how a few mortal teens can handle vampires, keep in mind that Buffy herself is mortal, yes, but is also essentially a Superhero. Due to being the Slayer she’s got mystical superhuman strength, agility, and whatnot… ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-buffy-for-the-first-time-ever/306128/46 "2005-06-02T17:21:16Z")
Uh, guys, how about a little spoiler consideration for the newbies? Personally I’ve never cared and granted this _is_ an old show. But since this thread is specifically about people new to BtVS, unless they say otherwise I think by default some spoiler protocol about plot points would be polite. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Amok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f17d59/32.png) [@Amok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amok)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-buffy-for-the-first-time-ever/306128/47 "2005-06-02T17:45:56Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > As for how a few mortal teens can handle vampires, keep in mind that Buffy herself is mortal, yes, but is also essentially a Superhero. Due to being the Slayer she’s got mystical superhuman strength, agility, and whatnot… Yeah, but Buffy isn’t present in the scene in _Anne_ that **Sam** is referring to. Vampire strength/effectiveness tends to vary a lot due to plot necessity. At times Buffy will dispatch a lone vampire very easily, or win versus four (or more) at once, and at other times she’ll be in what looks like a fight for her life versus one. To some extent this can be seen as realistic; even though Buffy is stronger than a normal vampire, it doesn’t mean she’s always be able to “bring her A game”, just like even the best sports teams sometimes struggle against lesser opponents. And, of course, some vampires are just better fighters than others, just like with humans. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-buffy-for-the-first-time-ever/306128/48 "2005-06-02T20:09:38Z")
> [@Amok](#): > > Yeah, but Buffy isn’t present in the scene in _Anne_ that **Sam** is referring to. Ah, yes, that’s true. I didn’t catch which episode he was talking about. Well, they have wtched Buffy in action for 2 years at that point. They certainly wouldn’t have been able to do that in season 1. Plus there’s the possibility of latent werewolf strength, even in human form, for Oz. I dunno, I’m stretching. I don’t even remember how involved he was in the fight. I’m gonna go with training. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-buffy-for-the-first-time-ever/306128/49 "2005-06-02T20:27:58Z")
Of course, (spoilers for that fight in Anne) they fuck it up. And that bit where Oz (?) throws the stake and it bungs off the rock makes me laugh every time. –Cliffy [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-buffy-for-the-first-time-ever/306128.md?page=2)